Fellows: We will soon be able to work more flexibly

Aston Martin’s new wind tunnel is due to be operational towards the end of the year and the team’s technical director Dan Fellows is looking forward to the event as better tools will allow the engineering department to work much more efficiently.

Aston Martin co-owner Lawrence Stroll has invested heavily in the construction of a new base at Silverstone, including a new simulator and wind tunnel spread across three buildings. In the meantime, the team continues to rent the Mercedes wind tunnel, located in nearby Brackley.

“This year we will have a new simulator, and it will of course be modern and advanced, as will the new wind tunnel,” Motorsports Week quotes Fallows as saying. “This will significantly improve our capabilities.” It will allow us to do research the way we want to do it and make our work more flexible.

There have been many situations where we have had to do things differently than we would like to, but we are not spending millions and millions of pounds on infrastructure for nothing.”

In parallel, the team is strengthening the engineering department staff, which will be joined by a number of experienced specialists: in early 2025, Enrico Cardile, who previously headed Ferrari chassis development, will become the new Chief Technical Service Director, and in October, Andy Cowell, Mercedes’ former Chief Automotive Engineer, will take up his duties as Executive Director of Aston Martin.

Furthermore, there is constant talk that the Silverstone team will be Adrian Newey’s next workplace after his permanent split from Red Bull.

From 2026, Aston Martin cars will be powered by Honda engines, and this is also one of the key components of the team’s strategy, as it prepares to compete for race and championship victories in the near future.

“It’s really important that the team has ambitious plans and that we’re given the tools we need to implement them and get to the next level,” Fallows said.